Karen Mulzac Watkins Vice Chair, District I | Gwinnett County Public Schools
Karen Mulzac Watkins Vice Chair, District I | Gwinnett County Public Schools
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been awarded an Environmental Protection Agency Recycling Education and Outreach Grant totaling $1,164,792. This funding will support food waste reduction projects in Gwinnett County public schools and other locations such as Baltimore, Maryland; Memphis, Tennessee; and Nashville, Tennessee.
Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful initially introduced the Food Waste Warriors Initiative to select Gwinnett schools with a Keep America Beautiful-Lowe’s Community Improvement Grant in 2018. By 2020, they partnered with WWF to expand this initiative as part of the Green & Healthy Schools Program.
The EPA announced the grant on America Recycles Day, coinciding with the second anniversary of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The grant aims to empower “Communities to Recycle and Prevent Food Waste through Evidence-Based Interventions, Policy Change, and Technology in Title I Schools.” WWF's initiative provides K-12 educators with stipends, toolkits, and lesson plans to address food waste.
Schelly Marlatt, executive director of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful stated: “I am so proud of the many ways Food Waste Warriors has augmented the Green & Healthy Schools program through our incredible partnership with the World Wildlife Fund. It’s a wonderful example of STEM education and environmental stewardship in action."
Participating students at Gwinnett County schools engage in various activities like conducting food waste audits and using composting systems. The grant funds will help expand these programs further.
Additionally, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and WWF have announced an extension of their funding partnership into 2024.
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